Columbus Rides Bikes!

Most of us have probably heard of  cycling highways in the Netherlands . These long distance segregated bicycle paths run through suburban and rural areas, making it easy for cyclists to commute into cities and towns. Perhaps less known is that cycling highways also exist elsewhere - for example, in Northern Ireland. Considering NI is not especially famous for its cycling infrastructure or high rates of bicycle commuters, I find this interesting and would like to share my experience.  The place where I am currently staying is about 7 miles from  Coleraine - a good sized town by local standards, with multiple shopping centers, a variety of businesses, and a university. It is a major commuter's hub for surrounding rural areas - including the village I am closest to, which is Castlerock. There are two routes from Castlerock to Coleraine. The direct one is along the A2 - a country highway with high speed traffic. The indirect one is along a quiet backroad that meande...

The Buckshot Wireless Speaker Explained by Frank Harrington - Outdoor Tech from Outdoor Tech on Vimeo .

The Mad Mechanic on Pinkbike

5 to 9 Microadventure from Alastair Humphreys on Vimeo .

StreetsAlive in Fargo and Moorhead, Minnesota, is changing attitudes about transportation beyond just two Sundays a week, organizers say. Image:  FMspotlight For two Sundays every summer, a three-mile loop between downtown Fargo, North Dakota and nearby Moorhead, Minnesota is transformed. The open streets event StreetsAlive draws between 6,000 and 8,000 people — on bikes, sneakers and rollerblades — into the space that is normally occupied by cars. The event began as a healthy living initiative, with sponsorship from Blue Cross of Minnesota, managed by the Dakota Medical Foundation. But organizers say that as it has grown in popularity over the last three years, the event has evolved into something potentially transformative. Local leaders are trying to use StreetsAlive to educate the public about the benefits of non-motorized transportation, and it seems to be working. Last year’s theme was “Life After Cars.” Embarking on a regional planning process, local officials rep...

City skyline photograph by Getty Images Vikram Pandit stood fidgeting in a park near New York’s City Hall, looking owlish in a suit and rimless spectacles. It was May 7, 2012, and he’d had better springs. Citigroup  ( C ) , where he was chief executive officer, had recently flunked a government “stress test” meant to identify which big lenders were still shaky in the wake of the financial crisis. The Federal Reserve had vetoed an $8 billion stock buyback, and irritated shareholders had just voted against Pandit’s pay package of $15 million. Today the news was better. Pandit took his place next to a podium as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced to a gaggle of reporters that, after three years of study, the city was finally starting a bike-sharing program—one that would cost taxpayers nothing, thanks to a $41 million deal with Pandit’s Citigroup. The cobalt blue two-wheelers, the mayor said, would be called Citi Bikes. As Bloomberg detailed the program, which he sa...

Not considered public transit by the IRS. Yet. (Photo by J.Maus/BikePortland) U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer is cosponsoring a bill to officially recognize bike sharing as the newest category of public transit, at least in the eyes of the IRS. Unfortunately, the bill is limited by a persistent oversight in tax policy that restricts its benefits to those who both live and work in areas that have bikesharing stations. It's a new goal for the city transportation commissioner turned Congressman, who spent years pushing for the IRS's first bike commuting benefit. The $20-a-month deduction finally passed as  part of the 2008 bank bailout  (despite Blumenauer's "no" vote on that package). Neither the existing bike commute deduction or Blumenauer's proposal would affect personal income taxes. Instead, they let employers (including governments and nonprofits) reimburse workers for bike expenses or bike sharing passes like any other fringe benefit, and treat t...

(photo by mitsu iwasaki) I have biked everywhere within 4 miles of my apartment in the past 5 years , including every job I’ve had — I’ve never had to drive to work in Denver. I find riding a bicycle exhilarating, but that’s no reason for you to think you should. In fact, here are 9 reasons you shouldn’t bike to work. I’m sure you can think of others. 9. It’s too dangerous. Can you imagine being out there on a bicycle with all these crazy drivers flying past you, nothing to protect you except a plastic and styrofoam shell on your head? You could get killed. The absolute best thing is to stay in the protective cage of your car, because no one’s ever been killed when they’re inside an automobile. Driving is safe. 8. You have to wear a tie to work. Or a suit. Or a skirt. Not only that, it’s important to wear your tie/suit/business casual attire from the moment you leave your house in the morning until the moment you get home. There is no conceivable way you could leave some...

Your City, Your Community, Your Parks! "The Recreation and Parks Department is excited to be developing a master plan which will help to guide us into the future. Your input into the recreational needs of the community is critical to the success of the planning effort. Please join us as the department charts its course for the next 10 years." -- Alan D. McKnight, Director Public Workshop Sites     Public Meeting Presentation (Coming Soon) Background Materials for Planning Areas (Coming Soon) Community Survey (Coming Soon) Current (2003) Master Plan Chapter I: Overview   Chapter II: Demographics   Chapter III: Programs, Parks, and Facilities   Chapter IV: Needs Assesment   Chapter V: Recommendations   Chapter VI: Action Plan  

The Trail Boss packable trail work tool allows you to satisfy your need to ride, hike or run on trails, and your desire to work on the trails you use, all on the same outing. Its light weight, strength and versatility means you can bring it along on your regular ride or hike, and still stop to fix a bad switchback or bench that trail section you’ve been meaning to get to. And do the work exactly the same as if you toted along a collection of 3 or 4 bulky long-handled digging tools. Packable Strong Durable Multiple heads Customize length Customize combinations of heads Expandable Fabricated in-house Because it fits in a typical trail-size hydration pack or small day pack, the Trail Boss is easy to bring along and still enjoy the trip. With multiple tool heads, and rigid full-length handle you can dig the dirt with gusto, just as you would with a one-piece long-handled tool. Handle segments are available in 12” or 16” lengths, so you can customize the fit for your height and...

http://budnitzbicycles.com/ ABOUT OUR BICYCLES Budnitz Bicycles creates the fastest, lightest, and most beautiful city bicycles in the world. Working exclusively in titanium and cro-moly steel, our handmade bicycles last a lifetime and are a blast to ride. Our trademark cantilever frames are stunning — and are designed to optimize each bicycle's ride. The gentle split top-tube arc that characterizes all of our frames flexes in the right places and is stiff in others. We make our branded titanium seatposts, stems, badges,handlebars,and many other parts by hand. All bicycles feature top-end components, the majority developed for bike racing by small boutique fabricators in the USA, Europe & Japan. ABOUT OUR COMPANY Paul Budnitz began creating titanium bicycles for his own use in 2002. Almost immediately people began stopping him on the street to ask where they could buy a bicycle just like the one he was riding. Our company was founded in 2010 with the mis...

Beast Coasters 1 from Beast Coasters on Vimeo .

Tuesday, November 19, 2013 6:30 PM Kettering-Moraine Branch of the Dayton Metro Library 3496 Far Hills Ave,  Kettering ,  OH   ( map ) Enter the library from the rear doors. Look for the meeting room on the left. Presentation: Hiking the Ohio to Erie Trail   In April of 2013, Andy Niekamp set out on a hiking journey on the Ohio to Erie Trail from the Ohio River in Cincinnati to Lake Erie in Cleveland. The Ohio to Erie Trail is 325 miles long and is primarily a bicycle route. It is the only trail linking Ohio's three largest cities: Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. The goal of his hike was to demonstrate that Ohio's bikeways can be hiked as well as bicycled. His presentation will take you on a foot journey through Ohio on the first ever end to end hike of the Ohio to Erie Trail with beautiful photos of countryside, small towns, big cities and Amish country.  This presentation is free and open to the public. Bring a friend! ...

During the next 18-24 months, there will be several closures and detours posted for the Scioto Trail on both east and west banks.  Please use caution downtown as you pass through the construction area.  Between November 18 and February 1 ST,  the detours will be posted as needed.  By February 1, all of the trail along the Scioto Mile is scheduled to be closed and a full detour posted.

Finally, you don't even need to get off your butt to get moving at work. "I wish to suggest that a man may be very industrious, and yet may not spend his time well," wrote Henry David Thoreau a century and a half before his society had stuffed its white-collar workers into cubicles with computers. His point, made as part of a longer series of lectures, boiled down to the notion that if you don't sustain yourself with love for what you do, whatever you're doing might be sort of worthless--or worse, without principle or enjoyment. People who move back to the land to devote themselves to active living are often considered Luddites in our fast-paced modern age. But white-collar office workers don't have to those extremes to at least enjoy their desk work, or participate (to some degree) in the movement. A pair of best friend engineers in upstate New York are  Kickstarting a campaign  to open-source their dynopods--or pedal-powered work surfaces--that use the ...

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - A bicyclist is in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle in Chillicothe Saturday night. According to Chillicothe police, the crash occurred at about 6 p.m. on Nov. 9 in the area of Bridge and Eighth streets. Police said Jason Butterbaugh was riding his bicycle northbound off the roadway when a 2011 Chrysler 200 veered off the right side of the road and struck him. Butterbaugh was flown to a Columbus-area hospital with critical injuries. The driver, 60-year-old Emmett Beeler, was located at his residence after he called police and said he hit a deer. According to police, responding officers said they had reason to believe that Beeler was intoxicated, and a search warrant was obtained for a blood sample. Police said the blood test results are still pending. Beeler was arrested and charged with aggravated vehicular assault. Another person was riding with Butterbaugh, and was also struck by the vehicle, but was not injured. The crash rema...

http://www.techhive.com/article/2061913/13-smart-bike-gadgets-that-take-the-stupid-out-of-cycling.html